Hi, this is a text copy from news site just in case it disappears from the net.
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Penampang: The District Office has been offered a RM200,000 allocation to spruce up the riverine area for tourism following the success of the first district-level Bamboo Raft Festival at Kg Mahandoi last Sunday.
State Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said the amount is for the District Officer to provide basic infrastructure and the work must begin immediately so that a 'tamu' (open market) can be tried at least once a month. He also directed his tourism officer to get tour agents to sell this as a tourism package and include the Bamboo Raft Festival into the State tourism calendar, if the response is good.
The Minister was pleased during the event that he announced a RM10,000 appreciation grant NGO-Community-Led Environmental Awareness for River (Clear) to assist in education and awareness to the community regarding the environment. "With both this amount, there is not much left for Ranau," Masidi said in jest. Next year's allocations would depend on track record and available funds.
Masidi rode in the winning bamboo raft upstream from Kg Kuai jetty and landed at Kg Mahandoi jetty, a distance of more than a kilometre. He urged the leaders and people who live along the river to work together and plan for the future generations. "The river may look like 'teh tarik' now but with perseverance they can find good opportunities for business and income in future." Masidi concluded by advising the people not to be ashamed of being poor but be ashamed if they do nothing to get out of poverty.
Present were Penampang party chiefs Datuk Donald Mojuntin (BN), Datuk John Ambrose (Umno) and Datuk Francis Goh (MCA).
Earlier in her welcoming speech, District Officer Luvita Koisun explained a detailed list of actions and activities she had carried out in response to the Minister's challenge to revive the Moyog River and turn it into a tourism attraction, and the community NGOs who had given dedicated assistance. These include: -
* an ongoing campaign of "Love your water catchment" together with Natural Resouce Department and Jica,
* Japanese NGO Jica visiting every village along Moyog river to explain Sustainable Development for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Conservation in Sabah,
* Gotong-royong for all villages along the river once a month until it can achieve cleanest district status,
* Seminars with Clear on environment in conjunction with International Rivers Day,
* Encourage other villages to have the Tagal System and register with the Fisheries Department with help of NGO Forever Sabah,
*At the downstream of river Clear, Pacos, Kivatu Nature Farm, Raleigh International and Village Security and Safety Committees to rehabilitate all major drains from pollution,
* Clear and KNF had initiated the healing of River Baku, a tributary of the Moyog,
* Adoption of a village by all developers as part of their corporate social responsibilities and obligations,
* provisions of a shared modern septic tanks for all villages at upstream villages of Moyog.
She concluded her speech by urging everyone to stop using the drains and rivers as dumping ground for rubbish.
Other activities carried out during the festival included angling competition, raft rowing race, raft tug-of-war, children colouring competition, casting net skills demonstrated on land, recycled material fashion show, launching of "love our river" song album, planting of a Tondundungu tree seedling and releasing of fish fry by the minister, exhibitions by state and federal departments and sharing of French food by French participants from Sepanggar Submarine Base.
However, the decorated bamboo raft competition was the top attraction with people cheering at the river banks. The winning raft was Kokodongon Diaki-aki from Kg Terawi, which carried Masidi with Luvita and a police officer and bomba providing safety. Second was Nampasan United from Kg Nampasan which was the furthest from the venue. According to leader Bannie Lasimbang, it took them five days to build and six hours to paddle downstream and nearly capsized at Kasigui. They had to go through two artificial rapids created by weirs at water works pump intake and Irrigation Department pumping intake. The difficult location for the raft to pass through was from Dambai Bridge to Babah Bunduon where bamboo clumps made it difficult to traverse the river. Third place was won by Jetty Abula from Kodundungan. The name has a peculiar folklore but the creators insisted it really happened. The jetty was apparently built where a farmer used to cross the river with a raft. One day a crocodile passed under his raft and the farmer challenged it with "abu la", meaning "come on, surface" so he can beat it with his wooden oar.
Downstream Moyog still has crocodiles and a small one was photographed by Luvita from her boat. Asked after the festival, she said it was not harming anyone and may itself be a tourist attraction. However, no one dares to go swimming in the river now due to the crocodile and level of pollution.
